In order to gather environmental data, scientists and researchers often rely on sensing and analysis systems and devices that can be placed in remote locations and which are able to gather the environmental data with little or no human involvement. Due to the remoteness and/or inaccessibility of their location, such systems and devices may be required to operate reliably for relatively long periods of time without the need for maintenance. One problem experienced with such systems and devices however is that they may become dirty as a result of being exposed to environmental conditions. Some systems and devices may be relatively more susceptible to such problems than other systems and devices.
For example, sensing and analysis systems and devices that use optical elements may be especially sensitive to the presence of dust, dirt, water, and other contaminants. Particularly, such contaminants may adversely affect the accuracy of gathered data and, in the worst case, may prevent operation of the system or device altogether.